A species of invasive African rat larger than the average house cat has made a reappearance in Grassy Key, despite efforts to wipe them out for the past 10 years. According to KeysNet, the population of Gambian pouched rat breed of giant rodents proliferated at the turn of the century when a local exotic animal breeder allowed eight to escape.

As of 2009, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission thought the region was in the clear. But alas, the 3-foot-long beasts, weighing as much as 9 pounds, came back with a vengeance. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at least a few dozen are running wild. ”In the early part of 2011, a resident emailed me and said he saw one of the rats. We were skeptical but went back and talked to people and [saw] there were rats that we missed,” Scott Hardin, FWC’s exotic-species coordinator, told KeysNet.

Not only they do they cause a stir when they show up in residents’ backyards, but the Gambian rat can also have negative impacts on local animal species and crops, and could disrupt fragile ecosystems if they reach mainland Florida, Reuters notes. In Zimbabwe, they’re often blamed for devouring nuts and damaging pea crops. They’re also linked to a 2003 outbreak of Monkeypox, a less serious version of human smallpox, in the Midwest.

They’ve even shown up in Brooklyn, N.Y., only to be harpooned with a pitchfork, and are also allegedly responsible for killing and eating two babies in South Africa last year, the Huffington Post reports.

Luckily, the Gambian rat can only produce one litter of up to six every nine months, and can’t reproduce until it’s five months old. To trap the remaining rodents, city officials plan to disperse 200 traps with cantaloupe, peanut butter, almond extract and anise as bait. Laced with a deadly zinc phosphide, wildlife officials predict the rats will die after consuming it while burrowed underground.

“They don’t belong here and they need to be controlled,” Gary Witmer, a biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, told Reuters. Adding, “They could cause a lot of damage.”

But I don't believe for one second that they killed and ate a couple of babies.

Reply #3 posted 03/28/12 9:03pm

Nothinbutjoy

Man Florida just has it bad! Big snakes, either python or anaconda I can't remember which, invading the Everglades and now this.

Photoshop kills natural beauty

Reply #4 posted 03/28/12 9:09pm

Nothinbutjoy

Oh, and am I the only one with this now stuck in my head?

Photoshop kills natural beauty

Reply #5 posted 03/29/12 12:14am

Timmy84

JustErin said:

That thing is awesome!

But I don't believe for one second that they killed and ate a couple of babies.

I've always noticed how news stories like this, they gotta exaggerate this shit just so they get paid for delivering stories like this lol

Reply #6 posted 03/29/12 12:30am

Ottensen

Love Florida. Adore Miami. And had some of the best times of my life in the Keys. But reasons like this is why I'll be damned if I ever return! Between these and the size of the palmetto bugs (those flying, mutant ninja cockroaches the size of a soup spoon) man, I'm done with that place

[Edited 3/29/12 2:34am]

Reply #7 posted 03/29/12 12:51am

guitarslinger44

Nooooooo! I'm supposed to play in Key West for the next two weeks! I don't want to have to outrun giant rats!

Reply #8 posted 03/29/12 2:35am

Ottensen

guitarslinger44 said:

Nooooooo! I'm supposed to play in Key West for the next two weeks! I don't want to have to outrun giant rats!

Don't they look just like the rats they had in those 1970's horror movies?

Reply #9 posted 03/29/12 2:56am

KidaDynamite

Ottensen said:

(those flying, mutant ninja cockroaches the size of a soup spoon)

See, I can't mess with that.

surviving on the thought of loving you, it's just like the water
I ain't felt this way in years...

Reply #10 posted 03/29/12 2:56am

SoulAlive

Wow!

Reply #11 posted 03/29/12 2:58am

SoulAlive

Giant Rats The Size Of Cats?

Are there really giant rats the size of cats living in some parts of the United States? Yes, it is true. In fact, some of these giant rats are actually the size of small dogs. The monster rat in the picture at the top of this article was killed by a maintenance worker at a housing project in Brooklyn, New York. The rat was measured to be more than 3 feet long and the maintenance worker killed it by spearing it with a pitchfork. Could you imagine a rat of that size crawling around in your basement? Unfortunately, reports of giant rats the size of cats are becoming increasingly common and they are coming in from all over the world. So where are all of these giant rats coming from? Well, many believe that these are actually Gambian pouched rats. Before they were banned, a lot of people would import them into the United States as pets. Others believe that there are other explanations for the origin of these bizarre rodents. Wherever they are coming from, they sure are creepy and they appear to be spreading.

Down in the Florida Keys there has been a major problem with giant rats lately. The following is from a recent Fox News report....

Giant Gambian rats are reportedly running wild in the Florida Keys … and these aren’t your average rats. Some can weigh up to a whopping 9 lbs.

Scott Hardin, an exotic species coordinator, told Jon Scott today that his belief is that a breeder likely released the massive animals in the Keys around ten years ago. Then, four or five years later, neighbors started noticing the rodents.

“You wouldn’t mistake it for any other rat you’ve seen before,” Hardin said of the species, which can get as large as an average house cat.

What would you do if you found a 3 foot long rat crawling underneath your kitchen table?

Just check out the picture below. Would you have the courage to battle a monster that is this big?....

Reply #12 posted 03/29/12 5:45am

Ottensen

KidaDynamite said:

Ottensen said:

(those flying, mutant ninja cockroaches the size of a soup spoon)

See, I can't mess with that.

Kida, I promise you, those things range between the size of the rounded part of a teaspoon to a soup spoon, an I call 'em ninjas because they like to fight humans! You can have the cleanest hous with the strongest insect protection in the world. but those darned palmetto roaches breed and live in the outdoors. They are attracted by cooking smells and enter homes in search of food & will fly right through the nearest open door or window; some of the bastards even walk into your house in the space right under your front door, like they're a guest!!! Even worse is that the sommamaguns, if you try to swat them, pick themselves right up and come flying at you trying to kick your ass. They're gangsta, I'm telling you

Reply #13 posted 03/29/12 6:28am

PurpleJedi

See now...mice don't scare me one bit. But I come across one of those, and I'd have to run it over with my car to kill it.

Having them monster rats around is the only way I'd justify owning a Savannah Cat.

By St. Boogar and all the saints at the backside door of Purgatory!

Reply #14 posted 03/29/12 6:45am

SoulAlive

Why do people pick these things up and hold them....as if they're pets?

Reply #15 posted 03/29/12 12:11pm

KingBAD

SoulAlive said:

Why do people pick these things up and hold them....as if they're pets?

that's how the shit gets started, call 'em a pet

til they get too big and aggressive then throw

'em out, next thing you know they fuckin

and makin babies and they wild.

they hunt in packs and pick up human

behavior when pets inablin them to

be creative in the wild

KALI my child will wreak havoc on all you love at my command... i am KING BAD!!!

Reply #16 posted 03/29/12 3:06pm

SoulAlive

Reply #17 posted 03/29/12 6:04pm

aardvark15

Thank god I left Florida!!!!! Between Rick Scott, the ignorance, the crime, the reptiles, and now this, God I'm lucky!!!

Reply #18 posted 03/29/12 6:40pm

SoulAlive

PurpleJedi said:

See now...mice don't scare me one bit. But I come across one of those, and I'd have to run it over with my car to kill it.

Having them monster rats around is the only way I'd justify owning a Savannah Cat.

Reply #19 posted 03/30/12 1:56am

LadyLuvSexxy

*Checks to see how close Mystic Dunes timeshare is to that location*

I can just imagine coming down for the family vacation and finding one of those things chillin' in the closets, swimming around in the hot tub....

Eating our complimentary fruit basket....ugggggh. And I thought the ones I saw in D.C. as a kid were a scary mess. They were raccoon-sized. My friends and I went outside like dummies, trying to take pictures of them.

You won't catch me with my FlipCam trying to tape any moments with these things.

Reply #20 posted 03/30/12 2:01am

free2bfreeda

these two cousin rodents will go to florida and 'save the day.'

all jokes aside though, those rats look really scary.

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #21 posted 03/30/12 3:32am

KidaDynamite

Ottensen said:

KidaDynamite said:

See, I can't mess with that.

Kida, I promise you, those things range between the size of the rounded part of a teaspoon to a soup spoon, an I call 'em ninjas because they like to fight humans! You can have the cleanest hous with the strongest insect protection in the world. but those darned palmetto roaches breed and live in the outdoors. They are attracted by cooking smells and enter homes in search of food & will fly right through the nearest open door or window; some of the bastards even walk into your house in the space right under your front door, like they're a guest!!! Even worse is that the sommamaguns, if you try to swat them, pick themselves right up and come flying at you trying to kick your ass. They're gangsta, I'm telling you

surviving on the thought of loving you, it's just like the water
I ain't felt this way in years...

Reply #22 posted 03/30/12 3:35am

Mya

KidaDynamite said:

Ottensen said:

Kida, I promise you, those things range between the size of the rounded part of a teaspoon to a soup spoon, an I call 'em ninjas because they like to fight humans! You can have the cleanest hous with the strongest insect protection in the world. but those darned palmetto roaches breed and live in the outdoors. They are attracted by cooking smells and enter homes in search of food & will fly right through the nearest open door or window; some of the bastards even walk into your house in the space right under your front door, like they're a guest!!! Even worse is that the sommamaguns, if you try to swat them, pick themselves right up and come flying at you trying to kick your ass. They're gangsta, I'm telling you

I've never encountered a flying roach. But if I did .. I already know it'd be the death of me I'm just glad the roaches in NZ don't have wings, I mean .. they're bad enough, but wings? I don't think it could get any worse tbh

Reply #23 posted 03/30/12 7:18am

free2bfreeda

KidaDynamite said:

See, I can't mess with that.

[image deleted]

she says:

i'll just get the sick minded massa wright-wrong , he used to catch rats fo food b4 he got rich from that cotton picking contest some years back. his wagon load of the cotton was the first one over at the gin mill. he say he picked that cotton all by his self.

he said the rats taste just like craw-dads if you eat em with some mississippi red clay.

but i ain't gonna eat no rat! i ain't, i ain't, i ain't. not even mr. rhett would eat them rats.

[Edited 3/30/12 8:15am]

[Edited 4/5/12 23:28pm]

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #24 posted 03/31/12 1:47am

peb319

Ottensen said:

KidaDynamite said:

See, I can't mess with that.

Kida, I promise you, those things range between the size of the rounded part of a teaspoon to a soup spoon, an I call 'em ninjas because they like to fight humans! You can have the cleanest hous with the strongest insect protection in the world. but those darned palmetto roaches breed and live in the outdoors. They are attracted by cooking smells and enter homes in search of food & will fly right through the nearest open door or window; some of the bastards even walk into your house in the space right under your front door, like they're a guest!!! Even worse is that the sommamaguns, if you try to swat them, pick themselves right up and come flying at you trying to kick your ass. They're gangsta, I'm telling you

I've never encountered a flying roach. But if I did .. I already know it'd be the death of me I'm just glad the roaches in NZ don't have wings, I mean .. they're bad enough, but wings? I don't think it could get any worse tbh

oh yes!!

the other night one made it past the screen and just waltzed into my bedroom..i went straight for the raid..as soon as i sprayed it,it flew off the wall at me!! no lie...then it curved around hit the wall at my headboard and fell out of sight...so i spent time listening, to see if i could hear it moving.. and still nothing...found it yesterday..

never be another like U

Reply #26 posted 03/31/12 3:08am

Ottensen

peb319 said:

Ottensen said:

Kida, I promise you, those things range between the size of the rounded part of a teaspoon to a soup spoon, an I call 'em ninjas because they like to fight humans! You can have the cleanest hous with the strongest insect protection in the world. but those darned palmetto roaches breed and live in the outdoors. They are attracted by cooking smells and enter homes in search of food & will fly right through the nearest open door or window; some of the bastards even walk into your house in the space right under your front door, like they're a guest!!! Even worse is that the sommamaguns, if you try to swat them, pick themselves right up and come flying at you trying to kick your ass. They're gangsta, I'm telling you

oh..and they bite.... BITE!!!!

do you hear what im saying.. they can and will bite you

oh my danm!!! I didn't know that!!!

I used to live on a canal in Miami Beach, which was just wonderful for the insects ,. Once in a blue moon a Palmetto bug would just fly through my front door, like "Hi, what's for dinner " I would just spraaaaaaaaaaaay them until they drowned , so they never got close enough to try and bite my ass like Mike Tyson bit Evander Holifield. Thank you Lawed for having spared me, because being bit by one??? That would have been enough to send me to the crazy house

Reply #27 posted 03/31/12 3:25am

Ottensen

peb319 said:

Mya said:

I've never encountered a flying roach. But if I did .. I already know it'd be the death of me I'm just glad the roaches in NZ don't have wings, I mean .. they're bad enough, but wings? I don't think it could get any worse tbh

oh yes!!

the other night one made it past the screen and just waltzed into my bedroom..i went straight for the raid..as soon as i sprayed it,it flew off the wall at me!! no lie...then it curved around hit the wall at my headboard and fell out of sight...so i spent time listening, to see if i could hear it moving.. and still nothing...found it yesterday..

That's what I hate about those suckers; they're so freaking big you can actually hear them ! The worst is that you can hear their wings flutter when they fly It's practically like a battle cry

I always invested in professional pest control in Miami and never had a problem with insects on the day to day. But these bugs? They're like robbers that case your house from 100 feet into the wild, and just decide to break in one day as soon as you leave an opening and they see opportunity. Because of that, Raid was always in my house just in case one of them tried to bumrush the premises !

Reply #28 posted 03/31/12 5:12am

Fury

Ottensen said:

peb319 said:

Mya said:

I've never encountered a flying roach. But if I did .. I already know it'd be the death of me I'm just glad the roaches in NZ don't have wings, I mean .. they're bad enough, but wings? I don't think it could get any worse tbh

oh yes!!

the other night one made it past the screen and just waltzed into my bedroom..i went straight for the raid..as soon as i sprayed it,it flew off the wall at me!! no lie...then it curved around hit the wall at my headboard and fell out of sight...so i spent time listening, to see if i could hear it moving.. and still nothing...found it yesterday..

That's what I hate about those suckers; they're so freaking big you can actually hear them ! The worst is that you can hear their wings flutter when they fly It's practically like a battle cry

I always invested in professional pest control in Miami and never had a problem with insects on the day to day. But these bugs? They're like robbers that case your house from 100 feet into the wild, and just decide to break in one day as soon as you leave an opening and they see opportunity. Because of that, Raid was always in my house just in case one of them tried to bumrush the premises !

[Edited 3/31/12 5:14am]

Reply #29 posted 03/31/12 6:11am

OnlyNDaUsa

they keys are weird. I lived there! the deer are the size of dogs, the frogs are the size of dinner plates, the bananas are the size of pickles, the limes are the size of walnuts, the roaches are the size of soup spoons... and now the rats are the size of cats.

but damn what i would not give for a Cuban mix on real Cuban bread right now.

It takes a lot to ignore some people but it is worth it.

Reply #30 posted 03/31/12 8:20am

free2bfreeda

heck i keep em as pets.

[image deleted]

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

[Edited 4/5/12 23:28pm]

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #31 posted 03/31/12 9:12am

Ottensen

Fury said:

Ottensen said:

That's what I hate about those suckers; they're so freaking big you can actually hear them ! The worst is that you can hear their wings flutter when they fly It's practically like a battle cry

I always invested in professional pest control in Miami and never had a problem with insects on the day to day. But these bugs? They're like robbers that case your house from 100 feet into the wild, and just decide to break in one day as soon as you leave an opening and they see opportunity. Because of that, Raid was always in my house just in case one of them tried to bumrush the premises !

Now, you know you are oh so wrong for that!!!

Reply #32 posted 03/31/12 9:29am

Deadflow3r

This is what happens when you kill off the predatory animals.

God forbid something should prey on something else.

The lamb will never lye down with the lion because there will be no lion to lye down with!!!!

[Edited 3/31/12 9:31am]

There came a time when the risk of remaining tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anais Nin.

Reply #33 posted 03/31/12 10:15am

Timmy84

Deadflow3r said:

This is what happens when you kill off the predatory animals.

God forbid something should prey on something else.

The lamb will never lye down with the lion because there will be no lion to lye down with!!!!

[Edited 3/31/12 9:31am]

That's what I thought... they should let the rat outside where the crocodile lives and let it eat it...

Reply #34 posted 03/31/12 4:07pm

KingBAD

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

now there's a mufucka wit issuses

even witout the rats

[Edited 3/31/12 16:09pm]

KALI my child will wreak havoc on all you love at my command... i am KING BAD!!!

Reply #35 posted 03/31/12 4:25pm

Serious

Ottensen said:

peb319 said:

oh..and they bite.... BITE!!!!

do you hear what im saying.. they can and will bite you

oh my danm!!! I didn't know that!!!

I used to live on a canal in Miami Beach, which was just wonderful for the insects ,. Once in a blue moon a Palmetto bug would just fly through my front door, like "Hi, what's for dinner " I would just spraaaaaaaaaaaay them until they drowned , so they never got close enough to try and bite my ass like Mike Tyson bit Evander Holifield. Thank you Lawed for having spared me, because being bit by one??? That would have been enough to send me to the crazy house

I was bitten by a flying cockroach once. It hurt pretty bad and you could see the bite for a long time.

With a very special thank you to Tina: Is hammer already absolute, how much some people verändern...ICH hope is never so I will be! And if, then I hope that I would then have wen in my environment who joins me in the A....

Reply #36 posted 03/31/12 4:29pm

noimageatall

Deadflow3r said:

This is what happens when you kill off the predatory animals.

God forbid something should prey on something else.

The lamb will never lye down with the lion because there will be no lion to lye down with!!!!

[Edited 3/31/12 9:31am]

It appears a private owner let them loose...

The protection of people, animal and plants is threatened on a daily basis byirresponsible exotic pet owners. All exotic animals are not dangerous and all owners are not irresponsible, but stricter state laws are necessary to protect native wildlife and unsuspecting residents. When dangerous exotic pets escape, children playing on a backyard swing set are placed in grave danger. Even nondangerous exotic pets can wreak havoc on the native flora and fauna.

While legislators in Ohio continue hammering out the final details on new laws pertaining to dangerous exotic pet ownership, Florida officials are scrambling to deal with a "giant" rodent problem, NBC 6 Miami News reports.

The invading 3-foot long rats in one of the nation's most beautiful locations might not boast the same ferocious demeanor as the tigers released in the fall in Ohio, but they are dangerous. Residents and visitors to the Keys deserve to sit among the towering palm trees without the fear of being bitten by the razor-sharp teeth of dog-sized marauding rats. The rats can reach 9 pounds by adulthood.

An exotic pet breeder released eight Gambian rats into the wild more than a decade ago, NBC 6 Miami News reports. The animals reproduced and have the potential to upset the ecological balance on the string of islands. Destroying native crops will harm the economy. Florida wildlife officials have been working diligently to capture the evasive rats, which burrow underground.

Exotic animals, the public and responsible pet owners deserve the right and protections of clearly defined laws and appropriate enforcement.

I used to live on a canal in Miami Beach, which was just wonderful for the insects ,. Once in a blue moon a Palmetto bug would just fly through my front door, like "Hi, what's for dinner " I would just spraaaaaaaaaaaay them until they drowned , so they never got close enough to try and bite my ass like Mike Tyson bit Evander Holifield. Thank you Lawed for having spared me, because being bit by one??? That would have been enough to send me to the crazy house

I was bitten by a flying cockroach once. It hurt pretty bad and you could see the bite for a long time.

ain't nothin worse than a roach wit an attitude

that eats meat AND flies

KALI my child will wreak havoc on all you love at my command... i am KING BAD!!!

Reply #38 posted 03/31/12 4:34pm

KingBAD

noimageatall said:

Deadflow3r said:

This is what happens when you kill off the predatory animals.

God forbid something should prey on something else.

The lamb will never lye down with the lion because there will be no lion to lye down with!!!!

[Edited 3/31/12 9:31am]

It appears a private owner let them loose...

The protection of people, animal and plants is threatened on a daily basis byirresponsible exotic pet owners. All exotic animals are not dangerous and all owners are not irresponsible, but stricter state laws are necessary to protect native wildlife and unsuspecting residents. When dangerous exotic pets escape, children playing on a backyard swing set are placed in grave danger. Even nondangerous exotic pets can wreak havoc on the native flora and fauna.

While legislators in Ohio continue hammering out the final details on new laws pertaining to dangerous exotic pet ownership, Florida officials are scrambling to deal with a "giant" rodent problem, NBC 6 Miami News reports.

The invading 3-foot long rats in one of the nation's most beautiful locations might not boast the same ferocious demeanor as the tigers released in the fall in Ohio, but they are dangerous. Residents and visitors to the Keys deserve to sit among the towering palm trees without the fear of being bitten by the razor-sharp teeth of dog-sized marauding rats. The rats can reach 9 pounds by adulthood.

An exotic pet breeder released eight Gambian rats into the wild more than a decade ago, NBC 6 Miami News reports. The animals reproduced and have the potential to upset the ecological balance on the string of islands. Destroying native crops will harm the economy. Florida wildlife officials have been working diligently to capture the evasive rats, which burrow underground.

Exotic animals, the public and responsible pet owners deserve the right and protections of clearly defined laws and appropriate enforcement.

KALI my child will wreak havoc on all you love at my command... i am KING BAD!!!

Reply #39 posted 03/31/12 4:40pm

Serious

KingBAD said:

Serious said:

I was bitten by a flying cockroach once. It hurt pretty bad and you could see the bite for a long time.

ain't nothin worse than a roach wit an attitude

that eats meat AND flies

The worst thing was that my boyfriend who was there when it happened told me that thing did not bite me because they don't bite even when I showed him the bite . And it only bit me because he refused to help me to get it away from my hand where it was sitting on and I did it in a way on my own that shocked that thing and made him bite me .

With a very special thank you to Tina: Is hammer already absolute, how much some people verändern...ICH hope is never so I will be! And if, then I hope that I would then have wen in my environment who joins me in the A....

Reply #40 posted 03/31/12 7:17pm

peb319

Serious said:

Ottensen said:

oh my danm!!! I didn't know that!!!

I used to live on a canal in Miami Beach, which was just wonderful for the insects ,. Once in a blue moon a Palmetto bug would just fly through my front door, like "Hi, what's for dinner " I would just spraaaaaaaaaaaay them until they drowned , so they never got close enough to try and bite my ass like Mike Tyson bit Evander Holifield. Thank you Lawed for having spared me, because being bit by one??? That would have been enough to send me to the crazy house

I was bitten by a flying cockroach once. It hurt pretty bad and you could see the bite for a long time.

yep.... one got me while i was sleeping...it felt like a bee stinging me..or a bull ant...

never be another like U

Reply #41 posted 03/31/12 7:47pm

free2bfreeda

KingBAD said:

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

now there's a mufucka wit issuses

even witout the rats

[Edited 3/31/12 16:09pm]

you tho crazeee!

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #42 posted 04/01/12 12:56am

Ottensen

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

This kid looks like an urban Goth. "Jethro" on the other hand, while being from the Hebrew Bible , is more like an Appalachian mountain name. Somehow, I don't see the correlation here.

Reply #43 posted 04/01/12 1:12am

Ottensen

noimageatall said:

Deadflow3r said:

This is what happens when you kill off the predatory animals.

God forbid something should prey on something else.

The lamb will never lye down with the lion because there will be no lion to lye down with!!!!

[Edited 3/31/12 9:31am]

It appears a private owner let them loose...

The protection of people, animal and plants is threatened on a daily basis byirresponsible exotic pet owners. All exotic animals are not dangerous and all owners are not irresponsible, but stricter state laws are necessary to protect native wildlife and unsuspecting residents. When dangerous exotic pets escape, children playing on a backyard swing set are placed in grave danger. Even nondangerous exotic pets can wreak havoc on the native flora and fauna.

While legislators in Ohio continue hammering out the final details on new laws pertaining to dangerous exotic pet ownership, Florida officials are scrambling to deal with a "giant" rodent problem, NBC 6 Miami News reports.

The invading 3-foot long rats in one of the nation's most beautiful locations might not boast the same ferocious demeanor as the tigers released in the fall in Ohio, but they are dangerous. Residents and visitors to the Keys deserve to sit among the towering palm trees without the fear of being bitten by the razor-sharp teeth of dog-sized marauding rats. The rats can reach 9 pounds by adulthood.

An exotic pet breeder released eight Gambian rats into the wild more than a decade ago, NBC 6 Miami News reports. The animals reproduced and have the potential to upset the ecological balance on the string of islands. Destroying native crops will harm the economy. Florida wildlife officials have been working diligently to capture the evasive rats, which burrow underground.

Exotic animals, the public and responsible pet owners deserve the right and protections of clearly defined laws and appropriate enforcement.

I saw this from the onset when the article was posted by the OP: my dude and I were just saying how incredibly irresponsible that is to just release animals into the wild like that from a completely foreign habitat. In Gambia there are birds of prey who are known to hunt these things, but to just release them into the American wild with no natural predator to speak of??? I hope his ass was fined heavily, and he just demonstrated why everyone is not capable nor responsible enough to handle so-called "exotic pets".

What he did has the potential to jack up the food supply, just because his dumb ass was likely bored of the responsibility of an animal that had no business being brought over for people's amusement in the first place. If those animals reach the mainland and become a threat to crops, I hope his business is closed and there is a reprimand of some kind.

Reply #44 posted 04/02/12 7:53am

free2bfreeda

Ottensen said:

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

This kid looks like an urban Goth. "Jethro" on the other hand, while being from the Hebrew Bible , is more like an Appalachian mountain name. Somehow, I don't see the correlation here.

there are also large rodents in that dwell in parts of the appalachian mountains. it's called the allegheny woodrat and it ranges about 15 to 18 inches in length whereas 7 to 8 inches of this is tail. that is quite large imo.

i refer to the name Jethro as in Jethro Boudine who was from west virginia. West virginia is a state which is a part of the appalachian mountain range. thus jethro.

it's not suppose to be that technical! a big rat is a big rat. goth that?

[Edited 4/2/12 9:29am]

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #45 posted 04/02/12 4:05pm

thekidsgirl

Why did I have to open this damn thread! I'll be having nightmares for weeks

This kid looks like an urban Goth. "Jethro" on the other hand, while being from the Hebrew Bible , is more like an Appalachian mountain name. Somehow, I don't see the correlation here.

there are also large rodents in that dwell in parts of the appalachian mountains. it's called the allegheny woodrat and it ranges about 15 to 18 inches in length whereas 7 to 8 inches of this is tail. that is quite large imo.

i refer to the name Jethro as in Jethro Boudine who was from west virginia. West virginia is a state which is a part of the appalachian mountain range. thus jethro.

it's not suppose to be that technical! a big rat is a big rat. goth that?

[Edited 4/2/12 9:29am]

cute.

But that poor kid still looks like a city dweller to me and not from the mountains. Instead of Jethro- I see him more as something like a Jane Gacy (in the tradition of Marylyn Manson).

Big ass rats are still big as rats, but not all white folks have inbred, backwoods, country names. Just sayin'.

Reply #50 posted 04/03/12 12:58am

IstenSzek

these are the type of rats that are trained to sniff out explosives and landmines

in their region of origin. they're actually pretty damn awesome.

not when they're running wild and loose in your backyard, mind you. but they

do some amazing work in saving people's lives by finding landmines.

and true love lives on lollipops and crisps

Reply #51 posted 04/03/12 4:54am

Ottensen

The "how my babble thread post jumped into the rat thread" edit

[Edited 4/3/12 5:04am]

Reply #52 posted 04/03/12 10:07am

Tokyo89

IstenSzek said:

these are the type of rats that are trained to sniff out explosives and landmines

in their region of origin. they're actually pretty damn awesome.

not when they're running wild and loose in your backyard, mind you. but they

do some amazing work in saving people's lives by finding landmines.

Idk why I keep coming back to this thread to look at big ass rats smh lol

She Don't Speak..But She Remembers

Reply #53 posted 04/03/12 5:21pm

HotGritz

Kill all the rats, roaches, mosquitos and slugs then you have a nicer world in which to live.

I'M NOT SAYING YOU'RE UGLY. YOU JUST HAVE BAD LUCK WHEN IT COMES TO MIRRORS AND SUNLIGHT!RIP Dick Clark, Whitney Houston, Don Cornelius, Heavy D, and Donna Summer.

Reply #54 posted 04/04/12 9:39am

KingBAD

IstenSzek said:

these are the type of rats that are trained to sniff out explosives and landmines

in their region of origin. they're actually pretty damn awesome.

not when they're running wild and loose in your backyard, mind you. but they

do some amazing work in saving people's lives by finding landmines.

[youtube:X][/youtube:X]

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!

they are qwite expendable

KALI my child will wreak havoc on all you love at my command... i am KING BAD!!!

Reply #55 posted 04/04/12 11:43am

Ottensen

HotGritz said:

Kill all the rats, roaches, mosquitos and slugs then you have a nicer world in which to live.

Can we add possums to that list?! They like to run out in the street in front of your car while you're driving at night; they're kinda like the Floridian version of deer and look even nastier than those giant pouch rats

Reply #56 posted 04/04/12 12:19pm

HotGritz

Ottensen said:

HotGritz said:

Kill all the rats, roaches, mosquitos and slugs then you have a nicer world in which to live.

Can we add possums to that list?! They like to run out in the street in front of your car while you're driving at night; they're kinda like the Floridian version of deer and look even nastier than those giant pouch rats

Oh yes we must rid the world of them critters! They are horrid looking and it doesn't help that their babies hang off of them like extra big skin tags.

I'M NOT SAYING YOU'RE UGLY. YOU JUST HAVE BAD LUCK WHEN IT COMES TO MIRRORS AND SUNLIGHT!RIP Dick Clark, Whitney Houston, Don Cornelius, Heavy D, and Donna Summer.

Reply #57 posted 04/05/12 2:39am

SoulAlive

I always see dead possums on the road.They foolishly run out into the streets at night and become roadkill.

Reply #58 posted 04/05/12 11:33am

Deadflow3r

Ottensen said:

noimageatall said:

I saw this from the onset when the article was posted by the OP: my dude and I were just saying how incredibly irresponsible that is to just release animals into the wild like that from a completely foreign habitat. In Gambia there are birds of prey who are known to hunt these things, but to just release them into the American wild with no natural predator to speak of??? I hope his ass was fined heavily, and he just demonstrated why everyone is not capable nor responsible enough to handle so-called "exotic pets".

What he did has the potential to jack up the food supply, just because his dumb ass was likely bored of the responsibility of an animal that had no business being brought over for people's amusement in the first place. If those animals reach the mainland and become a threat to crops, I hope his business is closed and there is a reprimand of some kind.

A simular problem happened with another rodent, rabbits in Australia. Somehow they were all killed off. I just hope they find a way to kill them off without using deadly chemicals.

Yes Timmy, Crocodiles would enjoy these.

Can there skins be used for anything. When humans can sell the skins of an animal for money they will hunt that animal to extinction.

Maybe humans can kill them and turn them in for money somehow. They need a motive though like can recycling. Five cents a can, maybe fifty cents a rat?

There came a time when the risk of remaining tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anais Nin.

Reply #59 posted 04/05/12 11:30pm

free2bfreeda

KingBAD said:

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

[image deleted]

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

now there's a mufucka wit issuses

even witout the rats

[Edited 3/31/12 16:09pm]

image was deleted, might have defended.

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran

Reply #60 posted 04/05/12 11:31pm

free2bfreeda

KingBAD said:

free2bfreeda said:

heck i keep em as pets.

[image deleted]

my cousin jethro has 2 of em!

now there's a mufucka wit issuses

even witout the rats

[Edited 3/31/12 16:09pm]

image deleted -afterthought-might have offended

note: [system won't allow delete of remaining images]

[Edited 4/5/12 23:33pm]

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Khalil Gibran